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AP Seminar Redesign

Learn about the AP Seminar redesign effective for the 2027-28 school year.

AP Seminar is being redesigned for the 2027-28 school year to foster and protect students' writing skills in the age of AI, teach responsible AI use, and better serve both the English Language Arts (ELA) community that utilizes AP Seminar to fulfill a high school ELA requirement, and the educators who utilize AP Seminar as an interdisciplinary elective.

Starting in 2027-28, the AP Seminar Course and Exam Description (CED) will be offered in two editions: AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English. The redesigned course framework, applicable for both AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English, is available now. The CEDs will be available in spring 2027. AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English students will take the same end-of-course exam, regardless of the edition.

What’s Changing?

Authentic Writing in the Age of AI

Students will complete their AP Seminar Individual Written Argument (IWA) on a new, secure, College Board writing platform.
The writing platform has a dynamic design: students explore, research, and gather evidence on the open web or with AI tools, then move into a secure space, in class and with the teacher present, to outline, draft, and revise without AI.
The writing platform will be available for student use in January 2028, with teacher resources and previews available in summer and fall 2027.
Note: As with the current course, the IWA is completed in the spring semester, after stimulus materials are released in January, and therefore, AP Seminar cannot be offered in its entirety solely as a fall-semester course.

Teaching and Learning Responsible Uses of AI

The redesigned course framework embeds learning objectives into AP Seminar's existing course skills on how to use optional AI tools appropriately and ethically—while drawing clear boundaries between acceptable uses and unacceptable uses that will be blocked within the College Board writing platform.
Note: Using AI is not required, and AI use itself is not assessed.

A Dedicated Edition for English Classrooms

The AP Seminar Course and Exam Description will be available in two editions: AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English.
AP Seminar: English is designed for schools that teach the course as part of their English course sequence, by far the most common placement of AP Seminar within U.S. schools today. The updated course framework strengthens alignment to ELA standards, particularly in close reading, vocabulary and grammar, and speaking and listening. The English edition of the CED offers added guidance to help teachers seamlessly incorporate works of literature, narrative writing, and other ELA-specific requirements into AP Seminar.
Because the AP Seminar score is based on projects and a written exam that are relevant regardless of whether the course is taught as an English course or an interdisciplinary course, both AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English students take the same end-of-course exam, with the same writing tasks, and follow the same steps for completing the course projects.

Also for 2027-28: Scoring Changes

What Is Changing?

The Individual Research Report (IRR) will no longer contribute to the student's overall AP Seminar score, but it remains a required step before a team can receive a score on the Team Multimedia Presentation.
Teachers can provide direct, formative feedback on a student’s IRR before it’s incorporated into the team's argument, and can assign a score that contributes to the teacher-assigned AP Seminar course grade.
Weighting of the assessment components will be: Team Multimedia Presentation (15%), Individual Written Argument (30%), Individual Multimedia Presentation and Oral Defense (10%). The end-of-course exam remains 45% of the AP Seminar score.
Updated rubrics will be available.

What Isn’t Changing?

The task structure isn’t changing—students still complete 2 Performance Tasks (the Team Project and Presentation and the Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation) and an end-of-course, fully digital AP Exam.

Redesigned 2027-28 AP Seminar Course Framework

The redesigned course framework will anchor both of the new CEDs for AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English, which otherwise are being tailored to support teaching of the course in an ELA context or an interdisciplinary context.
Durable skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving are more visible in the course framework.
Targeted updates strengthen alignment with ELA standards, supporting the many classrooms where Seminar is currently taught as English.

Course Audit

All new and returning AP Seminar teachers will need to complete the 2027-28 AP Course Audit, which opens June 1, 2027.

What to Expect

Fall 2026—Now Available

Course framework to be used for both editions: AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English

Spring 2027

CEDs available for redesigned AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English
Sample syllabi available for teacher reference
Course Audit opens June 1, 2027—all new and returning AP Seminar teachers must complete the 2027-28 AP Course Audit

Summer 2027

Project Manual released—guidance for navigating the performance task components of the redesigned course
Text sets available to support instruction
Professional learning opportunities available to prepare teachers, including AP Summer Institutes and the AP Annual Conference; separate training will also be available for existing AP Seminar teachers
Initial training on the writing platform for AP Seminar teachers

2027-28 School Year

Redesigned AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English courses launch in fall 2027
Additional training related to the writing platform will be made available to AP Seminar teachers
AP Classroom resources updated throughout the school year

January 2028

The writing platform will be available for students to begin their Individual Written Arguments
January 31, 2028: Course Audit resubmission deadline for returning teachers to maintain AP Classroom access

April-May 2028

April 30, 2028: Deadline for students to submit their performance tasks as final in the AP Digital Portfolio
May 10, 2028: Deadline for AP Capstone (AP Seminar and AP Research) teachers to score student presentation components of performance tasks and complete checkpoint affirmations in the AP Digital Portfolio

FAQ

Why is AP Seminar being redesigned?

AP courses are updated periodically to reflect developments in the discipline and in the classroom. These revisions address the growing impact of generative AI on student writing and to better serve both the ELA community that utilizes AP Seminar to fulfill a high school ELA requirement, and the educators who utilize AP Seminar as an interdisciplinary elective.

Will AP Seminar teachers need to complete the AP Course Audit again?

Yes. All new and returning AP Seminar teachers must complete the 2027-28 AP Course Audit, which opens June 1, 2027. Returning teachers must resubmit by January 31, 2028, to maintain AP Classroom access.

What are the two editions of AP Seminar?

Starting in 2027-28, AP Seminar will be offered as AP Seminar (the standard edition) and AP Seminar: English (designed for integration into high school English classrooms). Each will have its own CED, available in spring 2027. Because the AP Seminar score is based on projects and a written exam that are relevant regardless of whether the course is taught as an English course or an interdisciplinary course, both AP Seminar and AP Seminar: English students take the same end-of-course exam, with the same writing tasks, and follow the same research and writing steps for completing the course projects.

What is the new AP Seminar writing environment for performance-task writing?

It’s a secure writing environment where students can complete their Individual Research-Based Essay—with open access for research and a locked-down, in-class space for outlining, drafting, and revision. It allows AI use at specific, appropriate stages of the process and restricts it everywhere else. The writing platform will be available for student use in January 2028, with teacher resources and previews available in summer and fall 2027.

Is the AP Seminar assessment changing?

The task structure isn't changing—students will still complete two performance tasks (the Team Project and Presentation and the Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation) and an end-of-course, fully digital AP Exam through Bluebook.

What is changing is that the Individual Research Report will no longer contribute to the student’s overall AP Seminar score, but it remains a required step before a team can receive a score on the Team Multimedia Presentation. Teachers can provide direct, formative feedback on a student’s Individual Research Report before it’s incorporated into the team's argument, and can assign a score that contributes to the teacher-assigned AP Seminar course grade.

Weighting of the assessment components will be: Team Multimedia Presentation (15%), Individual Written Argument (30%), Individual Multimedia Presentation and Oral Defense (10%). The end-of-course exam remains 45% of the AP Seminar score.

Do I have to switch to AP Seminar: English if I teach the course through my English department?

No. Schools already teaching AP Seminar—including those offering it through an English department—can use the standard AP Seminar edition of the CED or the AP Seminar: English CED, whichever fits best.

What professional learning opportunities will be available for AP Seminar?

Teachers preparing to teach the redesigned course can attend an AP Summer Institute in summer 2027 and participate in other professional learning opportunities throughout the 2027-28 school year. Visit the AP Professional Learning Event Calendar for upcoming sessions. Separate training will also be available for existing AP Seminar teachers, along with training related to the writing platform.